The actual standard gameplay of Mirror's Edge Catalyst is very good. Faith controls pretty well for the most part, and vaulting and wall running over everything is a lot of fun. Even the combat in the levels is actually pretty satisfying because you're highly encouraged to vault off of objects and wall run kick enemies, which just emphasizes more of the movement that this series is known for. And there's even a grappling hook for certain portions!
The main problem is everything else that the game adds as layers upon the movement. Most of these are excess junk mechanics that have to be dealt with in the open world environment. There are a ton of basic optional missions throughout the overworld that do nothing except give you XP in exchange for doing time trials. Which are not inherently bad, except the time limits are super tight (perhaps unreasonably so if casual players are having trouble with them) and every optional mission feels the exact same. These could have just been cut out in order to emphasize the Dash optional missions, which are the actual time trials with leaderboards. Also, exploring the overworld is actually quite fun, but getting spotted by the various security cameras located around the overworld (that are not always obvious tells) causes the baddies to spawn and ruin your exploration, and fighting the baddies causes a helicopter to spawn with unlimited baddies until you retreat to a safe house. As a result, I often had to stay out of sight of the suddenly spawned baddies and wait for the cooldown, which really put a bit of the dent in the momentum I had exploring around.
Oh, and the story's kind of generic and feels lacking in emotion (for me at least), but you didn't come to play Mirror's Edge for the story right? The soundtrack isn't as good as the original though, which is kind of a bummer. At least it's a pretty looking game, but super taxing on your system if you go all out with the settings.
I think if they just stripped the game of these unnecessary baddie spawns and dumb optional missions with extreme time limits, Mirror's Edge Catalyst would have been much more well received. As it is though, there's a great game buried underneath; it's a shame that there's so much excess piled upon it though. I'd still gladly play a sequel, and I hope they learn their lessons from this that more stuff is not always better.
The main problem is everything else that the game adds as layers upon the movement. Most of these are excess junk mechanics that have to be dealt with in the open world environment. There are a ton of basic optional missions throughout the overworld that do nothing except give you XP in exchange for doing time trials. Which are not inherently bad, except the time limits are super tight (perhaps unreasonably so if casual players are having trouble with them) and every optional mission feels the exact same. These could have just been cut out in order to emphasize the Dash optional missions, which are the actual time trials with leaderboards. Also, exploring the overworld is actually quite fun, but getting spotted by the various security cameras located around the overworld (that are not always obvious tells) causes the baddies to spawn and ruin your exploration, and fighting the baddies causes a helicopter to spawn with unlimited baddies until you retreat to a safe house. As a result, I often had to stay out of sight of the suddenly spawned baddies and wait for the cooldown, which really put a bit of the dent in the momentum I had exploring around.
Oh, and the story's kind of generic and feels lacking in emotion (for me at least), but you didn't come to play Mirror's Edge for the story right? The soundtrack isn't as good as the original though, which is kind of a bummer. At least it's a pretty looking game, but super taxing on your system if you go all out with the settings.
I think if they just stripped the game of these unnecessary baddie spawns and dumb optional missions with extreme time limits, Mirror's Edge Catalyst would have been much more well received. As it is though, there's a great game buried underneath; it's a shame that there's so much excess piled upon it though. I'd still gladly play a sequel, and I hope they learn their lessons from this that more stuff is not always better.
2 Comments
I just finished 100%ing Catalyst, felt like going back to it because I was a bit bored I suppose. My main points of praise and critique still pretty much hold, so I don't feel like writing another review just for that. I'll list some other thoughts from the clean up though.
- Trying to snag all the collectibles that are not grid leaks (the glowing orbs) is a pain in the ass, because while the map will list how many collectibles are left in each section, it certainly won't mark it as an overworld location, unlike grid leaks (which are marked after the main story is complete). A lot of audio logs and scrolls are tucked away in corners of the map that aren't evident either, like perhaps in dark corners of the room where you can't really see the scroll or up a floor of stairs or two hidden away in a corridor. At least with the secret bags, there's the emblem of Mirror's Edge Catalyst as well as the continual chirping noise to clue you in.
- The map also tracks how many chips (electronic parts) you've taken from each overworld area for some reason. I'm not sure why though; it doesn't mark individual locations like it eventually does for data leaks, and each chip only gives 10 XP with no achievements tracking down all the chip locations unlike the other collectibles. So, they're basically useless once you've maxed out Faith, and you should just be collecting data leaks and getting 3 stars on Dashes for XP anyways. Even the infinitely spawning delivery and diversion opportunities on the map far outclass any XP incentive for chips.
- There's a lot of maneuvers that require some form of wall run -> quick turn -> jump that's super useful for getting to higher platforms directly above you. The catch? When quick turning on a wall run, the camera always turns to the left, which makes it simple enough to grab any ledges to the left of the wall that you're running up against, but makes it a technical and nauseating nightmare to grab any ledges to the right. I almost kind of wish that there was a 2nd quick turn key binding that would allow you to quick turn to the right, or instead just have the quick turn on the wall obey the same rule that quick turn on the ground did (that is, the quick turn will turn Faith in the direction that the camera's momentum points towards).
- As much fun as it is wall run jumping and vault kicking enemies, it's comical how easy it is to abuse wall run -> quick turn -> jump kick to decimate enemies, as there's only one type of ranged enemy with a gun, and all other enemies can be kited or baited to come towards you. So you can just farm a wall to singlehandedly wall run quick turn jump kick a single enemy at a time with impunity.
- Try not to die immediately after collecting a scroll/audio log/secret bag; it often takes a few seconds and some degree of movement for the game to autosave your collectible progress. Otherwise, you'll have to redo the whole maneuver to recollect everything.
- Quite a few of the collectibles have to be found in story missions. Nothing inherently wrong with this, most are just tucked away off to the side of the level's main path or in the case of secret bags, in a side corridor or above you on a vent/balcony requiring a little bit more work. I do however, find it annoying that you have to recomplete the story mission for the collectibles to register as being collected.
- It's straight up easier to immediately reload at the last checkpoint upon seeing any enemies near dashes/side challenges/secret bags; even spending too much time near their vicinity will trigger the helicopter and disable side challenges, meaning that you'll end up running back to safe houses anyways.
Tldr: I don't recommend trying to 100% this.
- Trying to snag all the collectibles that are not grid leaks (the glowing orbs) is a pain in the ass, because while the map will list how many collectibles are left in each section, it certainly won't mark it as an overworld location, unlike grid leaks (which are marked after the main story is complete). A lot of audio logs and scrolls are tucked away in corners of the map that aren't evident either, like perhaps in dark corners of the room where you can't really see the scroll or up a floor of stairs or two hidden away in a corridor. At least with the secret bags, there's the emblem of Mirror's Edge Catalyst as well as the continual chirping noise to clue you in.
- The map also tracks how many chips (electronic parts) you've taken from each overworld area for some reason. I'm not sure why though; it doesn't mark individual locations like it eventually does for data leaks, and each chip only gives 10 XP with no achievements tracking down all the chip locations unlike the other collectibles. So, they're basically useless once you've maxed out Faith, and you should just be collecting data leaks and getting 3 stars on Dashes for XP anyways. Even the infinitely spawning delivery and diversion opportunities on the map far outclass any XP incentive for chips.
- There's a lot of maneuvers that require some form of wall run -> quick turn -> jump that's super useful for getting to higher platforms directly above you. The catch? When quick turning on a wall run, the camera always turns to the left, which makes it simple enough to grab any ledges to the left of the wall that you're running up against, but makes it a technical and nauseating nightmare to grab any ledges to the right. I almost kind of wish that there was a 2nd quick turn key binding that would allow you to quick turn to the right, or instead just have the quick turn on the wall obey the same rule that quick turn on the ground did (that is, the quick turn will turn Faith in the direction that the camera's momentum points towards).
- As much fun as it is wall run jumping and vault kicking enemies, it's comical how easy it is to abuse wall run -> quick turn -> jump kick to decimate enemies, as there's only one type of ranged enemy with a gun, and all other enemies can be kited or baited to come towards you. So you can just farm a wall to singlehandedly wall run quick turn jump kick a single enemy at a time with impunity.
- Try not to die immediately after collecting a scroll/audio log/secret bag; it often takes a few seconds and some degree of movement for the game to autosave your collectible progress. Otherwise, you'll have to redo the whole maneuver to recollect everything.
- Quite a few of the collectibles have to be found in story missions. Nothing inherently wrong with this, most are just tucked away off to the side of the level's main path or in the case of secret bags, in a side corridor or above you on a vent/balcony requiring a little bit more work. I do however, find it annoying that you have to recomplete the story mission for the collectibles to register as being collected.
- It's straight up easier to immediately reload at the last checkpoint upon seeing any enemies near dashes/side challenges/secret bags; even spending too much time near their vicinity will trigger the helicopter and disable side challenges, meaning that you'll end up running back to safe houses anyways.
Tldr: I don't recommend trying to 100% this.
PierreMenard
2 years ago